May 7, 2019 | News
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Politics and Hunting in Botswana
By Dr John Ledger
In 2014 the then President of Botswana, Ian Khama, unexpectedly announced the banning of all hunting in his country. This caused consternation in the hunting community and brought confusion and distress to local rural communities around hunting areas who had benefited materially and financially from the hunting industry. They were simply cut off from an important source of money, protein and other wildlife products and work opportunities. It has been said that former President Khama was strongly influenced by animal rights and anti-hunting activists. Whichever way you look at it, the lack of consultation and proper planning of the hunting ban was shameful.
But as they say, what goes around comes around. Just over four years down the line, Botswana has a new President, and one with a different style to his predecessor, in that he is apparently more willing to listen to the people. And the people tell him that they are suffering damage to their homes, crops, and even loss of life resulting from the impacts of wild animals which, since the hunting ban, are of no value to them. President Masisi appointed a committee (‘The Hunting Ban SubCommittee of Cabinet’) to consult the people through tribal meetings known as ‘kgotlas’, where everyone has an opportunity to be heard. In its formal report back (in the form of ‘Handover Notes’) to the President, the subcommittee made the following key points:
“From the submissions made by the communities and other stakeholders, the Committee as assigned by Your Excellency, found it necessary to propose the following recommendations, stated here in summary form.
Hunting ban be lifted;
Develop a legal framework that will create an enabling environment for growth of safari hunting industry;
Manage Botswana elephant population within its historic range;
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) should undertake an effective community outreach program within the elephant range for Human Elephant Conflict mitigation;
Strategically placed human wildlife conflict fences be constructed in key hotspot areas;
Game ranches be demarcated to serve as buffers between communal and wildlife areas;
Compensation for damage caused by wildlife, ex gratia amounts and the list of species that attract compensation be reviewed. In addition, other models that alleviate compensation burden on Government be considered;
All wildlife migratory routes that are not beneficial to the country’s conservation efforts be closed;
The Kgalagadi southwesterly antelope migratory route into South Africa should be closed by demarcating game ranches between the communal areas and Kgalagadi Wildlife Management Areas;
Regular but limited elephant culling be introduced and establishment of elephant meat canning, including production of pet food and processing into other by-products.”
Some of these submissions made by rural communities are rather bizarre, and unlikely to be implemented by government, but it should be remembered that these are people who are so angry and frustrated by the impacts of wild animals, especially elephants, that their emotions have boiled over to the extent that they have come up with the idea of culling them and turning them into pet food! These thoughts have certainly caused a furore among the animal-rightists, but I doubt any of them have had family members killed by elephants. It also seems improbable that the government would sanction such activities, or unrealistic ideas for fences, but the realities of elephant management in the long run are that someone has to have the courage to take the ‘tough love’ road, as difficult as that may seem.
The important point is that the debate on the role of wildlife in Botswana has been re-opened and government has an opportunity to come up with some innovative policies regarding the relationship between people and wildlife outside the formally protected areas of the country. There is little doubt that the people of Botswana have been looking with interest at the wildlife policies of their neighbour, Namibia, where community conservation programmes have resulted in a high level of tolerance by people for wildlife, because they benefit from its presence. These benefits range from tourism and hospitality, from subsistence and trophy hunting that can be conducted in areas that are not suitable for photographic safaris, and from the breeding, sale and relocation of sought-after species.
There is no good reason why Botswana cannot implement a sound national wildlife management policy that will see rural communities benefitting from the wild animals living on their land. Benefits from the wildlife sharing space with humans results in tolerance. There are limits to tolerance, however, and predators will always require management and control when they exceed the bounds of tolerance. Namibia has learned how to do this, and reach a balance between the rights of stock farmers and the tourism benefits of seeing predators in adjacent areas. Custodianship must benefit the custodians, and wildlife must be able to make a financial contribution to the well-being of the human occupants of the land. Hunting has a major role to play in rural economies, and can be implemented with proper checks and balances and quotas based on sound management principles.
There is little doubt that the government of Botswana will be at the centre of a huge debate about how it should be managing its wildlife in future. Hunters should give their firm support to government for the re-opening of hunting in areas that are best suited for these activities, and where local people can benefit from regulated, well-managed and high value hunting operations.
The animal-rightists and anti-hunting lobby will of course do their best to dissuade Botswana from implementing wildlife management policies similar to those that are working in Namibia. Indeed, I have noticed a recent trend that looks like a deliberate campaign to ignore or sideline the Namibian success story, because it does not sit well with the animal-rights and anti-hunting lobby.
For example, I recently read and reviewed a new book on elephants (Pinnock, Don & Colin Bell (Compilers) (2019). The Last Elephants. Struik Nature, an imprint of Penguin Random House South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cape Town). It is largely a propaganda piece aimed at the forthcoming CITES meeting. Under the country heading Namibia, there is a single article about ‘social structure’, ‘male and female society’, ‘genetic links’, ‘feeding activities and more in the ‘Desert-dwelling elephants of north-west Namibia’.
But nowhere is there any mention of Namibia’s success in community-based conservation, of its massive community conservation areas, of its government’s unwavering support for both trophy hunting and subsistence hunting, of the benefits that have flowed to rural communities through a balanced approach towards sustainable consumptive wildlife utilisation, alongside eco-tourism opportunities. How does Namibia manage conflicts between rural communities, elephants and lions, for example? Why does this book choose to ignore the success story of conservation in Namibia, and make no mention of one of the most significant books on the region, An Arid Eden, by Garth Owen-Smith?
Let us hope that Botswana will soon join Namibia by introducing a new wildlife policy that suits its country and its people, and not the prohibitionists who apparently cannot stand the thought of Africans benefiting from the wild animals on their land.
Dr John Ledger is an independent consultant and writer on energy and environmental issues, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. John.Ledger@wol.co.za
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May 2, 2019 | News
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A Matter of Trust…
Trust – firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something
When you’re buying something – particularly the higher it is in value – this underlying element of trust is becoming all too important. The world is offering more of everything. Promises are spouted, choices abound. Everyone and anyone is being told everything and anything. Decisions become difficult. Once great bastions of truth – like BBC, CNN – distort the facts for the sake of agendas, viewers and stakeholders.
With international travel to Africa, when your precious time and personal cash is spent on a classic safari – the last thing you want is to be sold is some story. How do you tell who has got what concession, or the exclusive right to hunt where they say they have? Or have even got their license from that country’s association? Forums exist, but many use pseudonyms, and right of reply is seldom offered before there is trial by media. Associations exist, but don’t have enough clout. Ethics committees abound – but with well over ten thousand hunters to Africa each year – how many rotten apples are removed?
With offering peace of mind, we launched the Visited & Verified Program. There’s no grading system for now – it was merely a means to independently confirm, via our platforms, what the Outfitter said they offered. Our reputation was on the line.
While there’s space for all types of hunting operations and areas, just like any restaurant, hotel, tourist attraction or motor vehicle for that matter, simply state what it is that you offer. Don’t say with a straight face you are a Mercedes, when you’re a Toyota and have stuck a star badge on the hood. We know it happens, and thankfully the V&V program has gone some way to alleviate the problem. Our goal is to move this forward.
While everyone is a publisher, or a journalist, and there is too much keyboard courage and cyber ranting, we want to offer a refuge for those serious about hunting in Africa. As we expand the program, we will do what we can to build on that age-old quality that is all too quickly eroding in today’s world. Billy Joel sang about it in his 1986 hit, A Matter of Trust. And for us – promoting safaris to this great continent is what we do, so we take this seriously, and it is a matter of trust.
The Story of Two Shoe Salesmen in Africa – Once upon a time, a shoe company sent two salesmen to Africa to determine the market potential for their products. One salesman was sent to the east coast of Africa, while the other was sent to the west coast. Both the salesmen completed a basic survey of the target market and called back to the office. The salesman sent to the east coast of Africa reported, “No one here wears any shoes, there is no market for us here!” The other salesman sent a message, “No one here wears any shoes, there is a huge market for us, send inventory fast!” And so, the story went. Different perceptions of potential with the same scenario.
For those sitting in the northern hemisphere and reading this – there has never been a better time to visit Africa. I keep saying this, and each time there are more reasons: The currency exchange rate, the declining cost of game, (essentially an economic factor of constant demand and rising supply), the increasing number and frequency of airlines to Africa, and then the low barriers to entry for PHs and Outfitters to ‘get into’ this industry. Game farm owners are becoming hunting outfitters, wealthy businessmen are becoming game farmers – you name it, the reasons are many. Yet, the outfitters tend to bemoan the fact that competitors respond to the economic reality of rising supply and discount their hunts.
I flew to the USA from South Africa, via UK in May 1993 to start a summer internship at 3M, Minnesota. At an exchange rate of 3.18 SA Rand to the US$, it was $943. I have googled the cheapest flight right now, and it is SAR 11 073 to get to the USA, and at today’s exchange of 14.41 to the US$ – that would mean my flight would be $768. More than 20% cheaper than it was 26 years ago!
This continent offers so much, as each area opens up – be it wilderness areas in Zambia, Botswana lifting its ban, Mozambique’s Zambeze Delta team managing the greatest relocation of lions, ever – or South Africa’s Karoo, of all places, offering a wonderland of big open skies. The potential abounds. Wildlife is hardy and survives in extreme areas, Namibia’s desert game being the best example. And so, hunters, if you know of friends that have dreamt of hunting our great continent – there really is no better time. We challenge you – in fact politely beg you to tell your buddies, share this magazine, or electronically send it from our website to your contacts – just spread the word.
Outfitters and professional hunters. If the fish are not biting, or they appear smaller than before – it is time to explore new waters. There are hunters from across the globe that are nuts about Africa. We see them at Afton Guest House, from Slovakia to Sweden, Argentina to Australia. When you are presenting the diversity and wealth of our wildlife, our scenery, people and weather, the odds are stacked in your favour. Period.
Our mission and my job is to promote hunting in Africa, and 2019 will be a telling time. We will be unveiling a plan to promote this continent and outfitters, not only to our primary markets – but to establish larger secondary markets and, equally important, to new and potential markets. We started it in Canada 10 years back, so we know there is potential. We can’t do it alone and we will be working with the industry we are a part of and so committed to. So, as you read through the next hundred and something pages – please bear in mind that this is the turning point. We are on a mission. And like the shoe salesman who noted nobody wore shoes in Africa – “bring more inventory!”[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”View article in E-ZINE” color=”chino” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fafricanhuntinggazette.com%2Fapr-may-june-2019%2F%23africa-hunting-gazette%2F8-9||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
May 2, 2019 | News
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Of Demons and Dragons.
The preservationist, anti-sustainable use doctrine is a formidable global force. Selling the creed to the Western world is both simple and lucrative. A 24/7 stream of cuddly Disney movies, TV documentaries, news reports and newspaper articles that portray Africa as some kind of idyllic Eden that needs no human management has laid the platform to cast safari hunters as the evil villains.
Kenya is the preservationists’ posterchild in Africa where the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have had a stranglehold on government environmental policies since the mid-1970s when safari hunting was banned. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Born Free and the African Wildlife Foundation lead the NGO pack. Under their watchful eye, it has been estimated that since 1963, Kenya has lost 90% of its wildlife and 80% of its forest land. Thirty to forty per cent of the rangelands have turned to desert. This damning evidence shows that these institutions are more concerned with the raising of funds than the wildlife they purport to protect. They realize all of the benefits of their unique position through the ability to raise awareness and money for their assorted campaigns with the added bonus of not being accountable for their actions. The day-to-day consequences resulting from their shenanigans are left to the people who live with the wildlife to deal with.
In stark contrast is South Africa’s wildlife success story, probably the greatest the world has seen. Pioneers of this program were Dr. Ian Player and his colleagues in the Natal Parks Board. Faced with an overpopulation of white rhino in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi game park in the 1970s, a decision was made to sell excess animals to private ranchers. A key aspect was that the rhino owner could do whatever he liked with his rhino. Profit could be made from his investment through photographic and hunting safaris as well as through the selling of excess animals onto other game ranchers. This radical concept was the engine that drove the establishment of game ranching in South Africa. From a countrywide population of around 500 000 in 1964, South Africa’s wildlife numbers now stand at around 22 million head.
Botswana followed a similar progression, centered around consumptive sustainable use, until Ian Khama became president of Botswana in 2008. He was hell-bent on changing tack and emulating the Kenyan model. He reportedly once said that the only endangered animal in Botswana would be the professional hunter. With the support of animal rights activists such as Dereck Joubert (National Geographic’s “Explorer in Residence”), Colin Bell and many others, the country’s safari hunting industry was systematically dismantled.
The closure of safari hunting in Botswana (except for plains game species on private land) had devastating consequences for both people and wildlife. “The effects of the safari hunting tourism ban on rural livelihoods and wildlife conservation in Northern Botswana” was written by Prof. Joseph E. Mbaiwa from the Okavango Research Institute, University of Botswana.
He states that between 2006 and 2009, safari hunting generated US $ 3 120 000 for rural communities, while photographic tourism generated only US $ 415 000. 49.5% of revenue from the safari hunting industry was used in the local district, 25.7% at the national level, and only 24.8% was being paid overseas, mainly in the form of agents’ commissions and profits. Over 600 jobs were lost, and 4 800 livelihoods affected. Photographic operations have not picked up the slack in marginal areas because these areas are not suited to photo-tourism. Community projects such as the construction of houses for the needy, funeral insurance, scholarships and household dividends have dried up.
The loss of protein in the form of meat from the hunted animals was substantial. In the last five years prior to the hunting ban, each community was allocated a total of 22 elephants or 154 tonnes of meat per annum. This was in addition to the meat from other animals hunted such as buffalo. The communities were permitted to sell any excess meat, and in one area alone, Sankoyo, $600,000 was realized from meat sales in 2010.
With these losses, human-wildlife conflict has increased appreciably and the nationwide reports rose from 4 361 in 2012 to 6 770 in 2014. Poaching is on the rise and is having a significant impact on wildlife populations. Fortunately for Botswana’s people and wildlife, the current president Mokgweetsi Masisi realizes the importance of sustainable use of natural resources, and, hopefully, safari hunting will once again be an integral part of the country’s community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) program.
In South Africa it seems that the preservationists are gaining some traction. When “Skye the lion” was supposedly shot on the border of Kruger in June 2018, the anti-hunters were hoping for another “Cecil the lion” story. But, unsurprisingly, the international outcry was muted. That fairy tale has lost its mojo. The lion in question may or may not have been “Skye”. It’s irrelevant. Kruger lion are not endangered, there is a healthy, growing population of around 1 800. A male lion was on quota as set by the appropriate authorities, and all of the various hunting protocols had been followed. There was an upshot to this saga however.
An enquiry into the Kruger and Private Reserves Benefit Sharing Agreement by the parliamentary Environmental Committee for Environmental Affairs was initiated. At least five anti-hunting presenters were invited to the enquiry, and not one pro-hunting representative. Any subsequent committee findings could therefore hardly be described as unbiased. The chairperson of the committee, a certain Phillemon Mapulane, was livid when he found out that the cooperative agreement between the Kruger National Park and the Association of Private Nature Reserves was signed despite the directives of his committee not to. As Stephen Palos the CEO of the Confederation of Hunting Associations of South Africa (CHASA) pointed out to Mapulane, while committees hold an oversight role and a responsibility to report and make recommendations, they have absolutely no mandate to directly interfere at the operational level. It is untenable to expect any functionary to try serve or appease two different masters. SANParks is governed by a Board, duly appointed and empowered in terms of legislation, to oversee the operational activities of its executive and staff. To drag that same executive and staff to answer and act at the operational level to the Portfolio Committee is not just illegitimate in terms of law, but also highly immoral. It must prove very disheartening to the capable, dedicated and passionate people who try run our parks. They will surely prove the legitimacy and correctness of the processes they have followed towards the benefit sharing and expansion of area on Kruger’s western border.
Palos goes on to question whether the Portfolio Committee has not somehow been captured by the doctrine of animal-rightism, which has a coordinated and devious agenda to replace conservation with preservation, at huge potential cost to human needs.
And so like some warped “Game of Thrones” melodrama the battle continues with dragons to be slayed and villains to be vanquished and all the while we are left to ponder when common sense, if ever, will prevail.[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”View article in E-ZINE” color=”chino” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fafricanhuntinggazette.com%2Fapr-may-june-2019%2F%23africa-hunting-gazette%2F12-13||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_masonry_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1556795175771-ce7d4f5e-7d24-5″ include=”21455,21456,21457″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
May 2, 2019 | News
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Always trust Your PH…
By Lucas Paugh
“Nothing captures your heart like Africa,” was the mantra of my friend and mentor Craig Boddington. And as a young hunter I had always dreamed of hunting Africa to experience what most others only talked about, and very few Americans ever experienced.
Seeing the Big Five taxidermy exhibits at various trade shows sparked a fire in me to someday make this dream a reality. My longtime friend and hunting partner Jason Quick had previously introduced me to Alex and Johnny Thomson of Eland Safaris, a private hunting concession in the Northern Limpopo Province of South Africa, and we finally inked the date for early July 2018
We were met in Johannesburg by PH Petrie Boshoff, and on arrival at the farm were welcomed by Johnny and his family. We spent the afternoon shooting our bows to ensure accuracy, and recovering from jet lag after 26 hours in the air. Needless to say, we were ready to go experience Africa after over a year of waiting, and after an early breakfast next morning we split into our groups with our PHs. I was fortunate to have Petrie as my PH (or he was the unfortunate one to draw the short straw and have me as his client!).
One thing about bow hunting in Africa is that you will sit in blinds over water. At first, I was having a hard time with this concept, but I learned to respect and understand their hunting culture, and it wasn’t more than 30 minutes when my first encounter with an African species came straight to drink. A large mature impala ram had me at full draw, and when the arrow released that animal sprung up from the water and hightailed it out. It was a good shot, but the “vital triangle” sits a bit forward and lower in South Africa than in our traditional North American species. This took some getting used to as my impala proved by escaping my first arrow and disappearing in the bush!
I had a sleepless night worrying about it, but the good news was that thanks to my tracker Abraham, the impala was recovered within a few hundred yards of where I had hit him.
Day Two began at the same waterhole. The temperatures were rising in the afternoon, so plenty of game came down to feed and drink. I sat and studied Kevin Robertson’s The Perfect Shot about shot placement for trophy hunting Africa game, and made mental notes of where the arrow needed to penetrate for a clean kill.
Near the top of my desired list was a kudu bull. Of the spiral horned antelope, for me there is nothing more majestic than the Grey Ghost as they walk and browse through the trees. This day a massive kudu bull was thirsty, and my PH Petrie told me to grab my bow and get ready for a shot. We waited over 45 minutes until all the other animals left the watering area and the kudu gave me a 25-yard broadside shot. My arrow took flight, the bull spun and charged out into the thicket. In spite of the fact that the autopsy showed my arrow had cut through the bottom of the heart, he evaded us for hours till we finally were able to stop him in his tracks. I gained a newfound respect for these African animals.
I think another very special spiral-horned species is the nyala, and I decided to test my luck and see if I could get a chance on one. At the waterhole many nyala came in waves, and they all looked like a trophy bull to me. Prior to the trip my good friend and neighbor in our local town, Craig Boddington, told me straight: “Lucas, always trust your PH”. I recalled those words as I relied on Petrie to field judge and help me find a nyala bull that stood out above the rest. As luck would have it, a big bull with ivory-tipped horns appeared out of the thick brush and walked into water. Immediately my PH gave me that look of, “there’s the one”. I took my bow, nocked an arrow, and waited for the right moment. After what felt like hours, I lined up my single pin on the first stripe running down the front shoulder, and released a deadly arrow that made a full pass through and hit the dirt before the bull even knew what hit him. I managed to double down that morning as a nice-sized blesbok also came to water and took one of my arrows. One morning and two animals in the salt!
As the days passed, I also managed to hunt the holy grail of a gemsbok, a 40” horned beauty that turned out to be just an incredible representative of the species. Although all that was stimulating and fun, it wasn’t till the last day that was for me the most exciting and entertaining.
Alex and I had previously discussed which species were on the target list, and he convinced me to acquire a baboon permit.
“You never know when that opportunity could arise,” he said. All through the plains-game hunting I had this baboon permit sitting out there, and I thought, “Why not go and see what this baboon hunting is all about?”
So Petrie and I set out to an offset concession where the landowners were having issues with the baboons damaging their crops. After sitting in the blind for 20 minutes, a shrill shriek sounded out in the distance and my PH smiled. Within minutes a female baboon had entered the area and started feeding on the rotten tomatoes strategically placed. She was smarter than most, as she would grab a few veggies and run off. Then I noticed a silhouette in the bush walk out into view.
“A mature male,” Petrie whispered. “Take a shot if you can.”
I was committed to using my bow, which limited my opportunity as these primates are extremely clever and cunning. But this male slipped up by walking into my lethal distance. The shooting window was narrow and based on an angle did not give me much of a shot. As I went to full draw, I hoped that little sliver of an opening would be the vital zone I was looking for. One more step was needed for the baboon to give me a broadside shot…
The step was taken and arrow released. The animal immediately ran off for 50 yards till it expired with an arrow perfectly placed high in the shoulder. Petrie was delighted, as it was the first time he had been with successful bowhunter on baboon. We laughed and celebrated all the way back to camp.
That evening, we decided on a night hunt for steenbok. This was another hunt where they had never taken an archer at night to hunt one of these common small antelope species. We met the landowner and started out flashing spotlights across the fields looking for eyes. We had looked over many small game and then found a lone male ram feeding in the distance.
As we approached, my good friend Jason Quick helped me range the animal as I focused on making the shot in the dark. I recall hearing 48 yards, I set my pin, and the visible lumenok vapor trail traveled over the back of that ram. It ran off and went out quite a bit farther out of my effective range. We slowly moved forward and Jason whispered out another range of 38 yards. We followed, and after setting my pin I let an arrow fly and watched the ram buckle up hard and run about 20 yards before folding up. I was ecstatic at what I had just accomplished. Never had I thought this was achievable, but again proved these animals could be taken with archery equipment. We spent that evening under a sprinkle of rain taking photos and enjoying the beautiful winter’s night under the stars.
I’d like to thank Eland Safaris for making our experience incredible and providing world-class accommodations, and special thanks to our camp of hunters and friends: Dave Kelner, Bob Anderson, Jason and Wyatt Quick, Brandon Williams, Derek and Meredith Franklin.
Africa certainly captures your heart unlike any other place in the world. For a hunter or someone just looking to experience the culture or sheer beauty of the country, it offers everything one could ever imagine – and some. The density and diversity of wildlife is unlike anywhere else I have ever seen. On that last evening watching the sunset, the enjoyment of our final dinner was bittersweet as we broke bread with some amazing people from all walks of life and backgrounds. But all good things must come to an end, and I had memories that will last a lifetime.
And we are already planning another trip.
PS And you can hear more about this story and our adventure on our Podcast webpage www.rnaoutdoors.com/podcast.
Lucas was born and raised in North Central Montana where there were year-round hunting and fishing opportunities, growing up on the Milk River Valley which provided some of the best whitetail hunting in the West..
Over the last 15 years, his hunting and fishing experiences have taken him to Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Alaska and Montana, as well as Argentina Brazil, Australia, Africa, and New Zealand internationally. 100% of his hunts are DIY self-guided.
He enjoys hunting all big game, but there’s no passion greater than chasing big bull elk in September. His lifelong goal is to kill the North American 29 and 50 bull elk by the age of 50[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”View article in E-ZINE” color=”chino” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fafricanhuntinggazette.com%2Fapr-may-june-2019%2F%23africa-hunting-gazette%2F90-91||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_masonry_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1556794375167-8943bb6e-4200-7″ include=”21448,21449,21450″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
May 2, 2019 | News
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Bow, arrow and a Common Reedbuck!
By Frank Berbuir
Previously, we were lucky and happy to finally take a nice mountain reedbuck after four days of intense hunting. Now the next challenge awaited us – a common reedbuck.
It was the end of August and I had made it back to South Africa to hunt with bow and arrow again with my PH Izak Vos from Vos Safaris.
We were on a property close to Bela Bela in the beautiful Limpopo province. Deriving its name from the geothermic hot springs around which the town was built, it was called “Warmbaths” until 2002.
After arriving and settling in, we wanted to do a game drive to get familiar with the area, the terrain and the game, especially where to find the common reedbuck. Even on game drives I always take along my bow and arrows because you never know what can happen.
In the early afternoon we slowly made our way through the bushveld. The first animals we saw were some nice nyalas and warthogs. Suddenly, as we rounded a bush, four Cape buffalo bulls where standing in the path just about 10 meters in front and they were not really amused to see us. We stopped and kept dead quiet – you could hear a pin drop. The gang of four were moving and shaking their heads and sniffing to catch our smell. Fortunately the wind was in our favour, and after some bluster and showing off, the bruisers turned around and moved slowly back into the bush. That was an exciting encounter!
We continued our drive. Suddenly, “Stop!” I whispered to Izak. “I can see a pair of horns sticking out above the grass.” We checked with our binoculars. Bedded down in the grass was a good specimen of a common reedbuck. Carefully we sneaked out of the car to try stalking closer because the ram was lying about 80 meters from us. As quietly as possible we tiptoed from bush to bush. We managed it to shorten the distance down to 50 meters when suddenly the buck stood up.
Unfortunately at that moment we were in the open between two bushes, but luckily the antelope did not look in our direction. Quickly I pulled an arrow out of my quiver and put it on the rest. I was at full draw and ready to release the arrow when the reedbuck turned his head and stared at me. Not good. In the moment I released the trigger to send the arrow, the ram ducked down – string jumped – and the result was clear: I overshot him. What a pity, but that’s life.
“Don´t worry, the buck was just surprised to see us,” Izak said. “Probably he will not go far and we might have another chance when we follow him slowly as long as he is in sight.” No sooner said than done, we found the arrow, and watched to see where the reedbuck was going. We checked available bush cover, keeping an eye on him. Fortunately he did not run, and we could follow him slowly through a bushy area. About an hour later we arrived at on open plain and saw him standing calm and relaxed 65 meters from us across the plain at the edge of more bush.
Only problem was, just grassland between him and us and no cover to hide and sneak in closer. It was a far shot for bow and arrow, but I had practiced far shots. I’d give it a try. I put an arrow on the rest and pulled the bow, aimed a bit lower in case he might string jump again – and undershot him! The arrow flew directly behind his front legs, under his chest, into the bush. He jumped and vanished into the bush.
Izak looked a bit disappointed while I was more than upset and was swearing at myself.
We decided to leave it for the day and trudged back to the car to return to camp. I also wanted to check if it were probably just buck fever, or something wrong with the bow, sight or arrows. Back in camp I did a bunch of shots on the practice block and decided to take the sturdy German Kinetics Silverflame broadhead instead of the mechanicals I had used. Their flight and shooting result was more precise.
Izak handed me a beer and told me to relax at the campfire.
“We will find him again tomorrow. Don´t worry. Relax. He is an old buck and they are territorial,” he stated. Sitting around a nicely burning campfire under the African sky with a tasty South African beer – yes, indeed that is relaxing, and on top of that dinner was different. Usually we liked to braai around the campfire but this was a different specialty – Spaghetti Bolognese, but instead of the usual ground beef, it was made with wildebeest – unbelievably delicious. It was so good that I overate!
Next day – new chances! It was an early morning when we started, and not that we were superstitious but both of us skipped shaving this morning in the hope of better luck. We drove the bakkie close to the place where we had seen the reedbuck the day before. At crawling speed we moved forward checking the area with the binoculars.Then we spotted him bedded down in the grass in front of a bush about 200 meters away. He did not notice us. We stopped, got quietly out, and started our stalk. It was quite challenging moving forward between the bushes and grassland so as not to spook the ram. But silent and slow, step by step we shortened the distance down to an incredible 32 meters.
He was lying calm and relaxed, unaware of us, maybe because it was early morning and still a bit crisp. Meanwhile I was totally different as I could feel my heartbeat rising rapidly when I drew the bow in slow motion and aimed at his chest cavity. Suddenly he stood as I released the arrow, hitting him hard. The reedbuck jumped and bounded off at full speed. We watched him out of sight and gave it a break for 20 minutes. It also allowed me to calm down and get back to normal blood pressure.
On the spot we found a good blood trail and followed it for about 50 meters before it abruptly stopped. That was strange. We called Jacob, the tracker of the farm to help us in following the tracks. It took us three hours before finally Jacob found him slipped under a dense thick brush. These trackers and their abilities to read the signs are amazing.
We all were relieved to find the reedbuck and I was more than happy to have taken a common as well as my southern reedbuck. Again, it was an awesome and challenging experience with bow and arrow. Again I had a tremendously good hunt with unforgettable impressions and memories with my friend and PH Izak Vos from Vos Safaris in South Africa.
Shoot straight, take care, always good hunting, “Waidmannsheil” and “Alles van die beste”. Frank
Equipment:
Bow: Mathews Z7x @ 70 lbs
Arrow: Carbon Express Maxima Hunter 350
Broadhead: Silverflame XL 2-Blade @ 125 grain
Optics: Zeiss Victory Binocular & Nikon Rangefinder
Release: Scott
Camo: Sniper Africa
German hunter Frank Berbuir is passionate about the outdoors and hunting – especially bowhunting, which he has practised for more than 19 years. Although he’s bowhunted in several countries, he’s become addicted to hunting in Africa since his first safari in 2004. Frank is a mechanical engineer and risk manager in the automotive industry[/vc_column_text][vc_btn title=”View article in E-ZINE” color=”chino” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fafricanhuntinggazette.com%2Fapr-may-june-2019%2F%23africa-hunting-gazette%2F82-83||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_masonry_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1556793915773-8d9f8f0a-6aee-4″ include=”21442,21444,21445″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
May 2, 2019 | News
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ARCHERY AND BOWHUNTING – why I like it…
By Dr Adrian de Villiers
The reason archery and hunting with a bow is so special is because you are only as good as your last shot.
With archery there is no such thing as sighting in your bow and packing it away till next hunting season, taking it out of moth balls and going hunting with it. It takes regular practise, and it takes gym and exercise to stay in shape. Today’s bows are state-of-the-art machines with computer-designed and C&C cut aircraft quality aluminium parts – they are way better than the cast magnesium riser bows we used in the 1980s. The bows can be fine-tuned, and good archers can easily shoot a golf ball at 100m with them.
There are a number of reasons why bowhunting is so interesting. A rifle hunter can shoot an animal as soon as he sees it in a good position. But it’s just the beginning for a bowhunter. We have to know animal behavior in far greater detail, and especially herd animals.
I do not consider shooting animals at a feeder or at a waterhole as “bowhunting” although when I started I did do so quite a lot. However, all the animals I have entered into the SCI bowhunter’s record book I hunted on foot, and not over bait or from a hide, including the Big Five and a hippo. But I would urge new bowhunters to shoot at least ten animals from a hide until they get over their buck fever and to see which type of shot will have the best results.
It is thought by most hunters that the only shot is the broadside shot behind the shoulder, but that is not the case. When we are bowhunting on foot in the bush, a broadside perfect shot is not always possible or desirable, especially when you are 10 or 15 yards away. All herbivores have their eyes on the sides of their heads, and plains game, unlike us, do not have much of a “blind spot” so to hunt them you need to be more crafty than they are.
You can’t wait till they are close by standing broadside to you and then draw the bow – they will see that immediately. You need to quickly and silently draw as their eyes pass behind a tree or bush, and you must be standing dead still in a leafy suit or Ghillie suit so they don’t recognise you as a human. lt is hard to judge the speed of their movement while they are walking, so it’s a good idea to try get them to stop and then shoot. I use a soft, small animal sound like, “Ma”, similar to a baby wildebeest.
You don’t have to kill something to be “actively hunting”. You can walk and stalk and draw on animals that you are not going to kill just for the practice and excitement! It’s a great way to improve your skills. Hunting and not shooting animals you would normally kill will allow you to get all your ducks in a row – to get into a good position and choose the right moment to draw and aim without the adrenalin pumping stress of shooting a record-book animal.
The archery component of the bowhunt is also tremendously entertaining, and archery is a sport that you might never master. It’s not a sport where you can shoot a perfect shot every time, even under perfect circumstances. I have seen world-class archers, who have won many world titles, shoot badly under hunting conditions. I’ve had some amazingly good days where I could do nothing wrong, and weekends where I just could not do anything right. That’s what I love about it – it’s never over till the animal is in the cooler room.
Nowadays with the drama involved in getting a firearm license, more people are turning to archery. You can buy the bow and accessories in the morning and be practising in the garden by the afternoon. I have taught a lot of novice bowhunters to shoot a bow, and within an hour they are sitting in a hide and hunting animals that same day.
Hunters that used to shoot with rifles become obsessed with bowhunting quite easily. The thought that you are supplying the energy to the arrow that kills the animal puts you much closer to your quarry, and the absence of that devastating explosion of energy and noise is refreshing. I have often shot animals in a herd without any other animal even noticing it.
Many bowhunting farms, including mine, have exemption to hunt all year around, so it’s possible to keep busy all year and thus to keep your equipment in pristine condition all the time.
3 D archery on animal-sized rubber targets is also great exercise and fun. You can choose different shooting lanes to shoot at the same target. When you get proficient at shooting though tiny gaps and being able to visualise the arc that the arrow will take on its way to the target, you can teach yourself to shoot some insane shots, whereas another bowhunter will not even see an opportunity. Whenever I come back from a hunt I have a ritual. I take all my arrows, wash them, and spin them on a jig to make sure they are 100 % straight. If you own carbon arrows you should bend them quite harshly and listen to them – if you hear a creak or crack, discard them. They could explode on the next shot.
Fixed-blade heads and all used heads are either re-sharpened carefully or the blades replaced with new ones. A broadhead should only be shot once and then be re-sharpened. A broadhead shot into an ethafoam butt is not sharp enough to hunt with. Once the arrows, fletches and points are checked, the arrows should be shot once more at a target to check that they are shooting true. The same applies to every new arrow you buy: test it by shooting it before you hunt with it. Every arrow should be weighed when you bring them home to make sure they are within a few grains of each other in weight. Although 20 gr difference in weight has very little effect over 30 yards, over 100 yards it could be as much as a meter higher or lower.
A light and heavy arrow of the same make will look identical. One may have a brass insert, one a plastic or aluminium insert. Because a light arrow may leave the bow before it has taken all of the bow’s energy, a heavier arrow may take more energy, and so the two could shoot a similar height up to 30 yards, but at 60 yards the heavy arrow will drop way more, so testing them from close may not work. Weighing them will tell.
I strongly urge anyone who is reasonably fit and dextrous to try bow hunting instead of hunting with firearms. You will be amazed how much more enjoyment you will get being fully camouflaged and getting into bow range of an animal and hunting it without the animals 50 yards away even knowing that a shot went off.
I have been retired many years now and my bow and archery equipment keep me busy most days for a few hours. Pulling an 85 # bow is good exercise, too. If you are just thinking about archery and need advice on what to buy and where to get it and how to get started, please email me.
Dr Adrian de Villiers Professional hunter & bowhunter, IBEFMaster Bowhunting Instructor. srac@icon.co.za
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